'Tis the season to get festive with fun and easy Christmas holiday crafts for kids. Few things make our inner child come out like Christmas activities. And crafting with your kids is a great way to bond and get into the spirit of the season.
We've put the cooking aside for a moment (mostly) and chosen five Christmas craft activities you can do with the kids. Each one builds developmental skills and delivers a ton of fun in both the kitchen and the art studio.
Most are product-oriented crafts, meaning your child will create an identifiable and festive objet d'art to display in your home. The final activity is open-ended, so it invites creativity and imagination, and is loved by kids and adults alike.
So, clear off your kitchen island, table or countertop and get ready to paste, paint, and play your way closer to the holiday season.
Christmas Craft Ideas 2021
Ribbon Christmas Tree
This is an easy-peasy craft this holiday season that's excellent for little fingers developing fine motor skills and learning how to tie knots. It also requires some ability to cut with scissors and math skills to compare lengths of ribbon. Parents & caregivers can pitch in and help the really small hands.
The ribbon Christmas tree makes a pretty tree ornament or a thoughtful gift for your preschooler or kindergartener to give their grandparents and teachers.
Materials
Various shades of green ribbon, preferably the high-quality cloth type
A 6" stick, about ½" thick (a cinnamon stick works too!)
String to hang the finished product
Instructions
Choose what size Christmas tree you want to make. Smaller trees will require about 10 lengths of ribbon; larger ones about 20. It's up to you how big you want to make it.
Cut ribbon in graduating lengths. Start with a 3" inch and lengthen each subsequent piece by about an inch.
Starting with the longest piece, tie it about 1" from the base of the stick. Secure a knot. Continue to tie the pieces in order of decreasing lengths up the length of the stick or “tree trunk" until all pieces are tied.
Attach the length of string to the top of the tree to create a loop for easy hanging.
Beaded Candy Canes
Counting, patterning, sorting -- there's a lot of learning fun in this Christmas craft. Young children love working with beads and coordinating colors.
Materials
Pipe cleaners in green, red, or white (or all 3 holiday colours).
Plastic beads with a hole large enough to thread the pipe cleaners through.
Instructions
Bend the top of each pipe cleaner so it resembles a candy cane.
Then thread the beads, one by one, onto the pipe cleaner until it's covered, leaving just a bit of room at either end.
Bend the ends and push the pointy part into the last bead on each end to secure the candy cane.
Action Figure Cloche
This is like a snow globe but without the snowing effect. The selling point here is the action figure. You may also replace the action figure with a dinosaur or whatever interest your child has at the moment. This craft is best for slightly older children as it requires handling a glass jar. If you have plastic jars, all the better!
Materials
A recycled glass jar (label removed) with a tight fitting lid
A small action figure, dinosaur, or other plastic figurine
A small craft tree
Craft snowflakes
Gold paint & a paintbrush
Glue
Instructions
Paint the plastic figurine and put aside to dry.
Affix the plastic tree to the inside of the jar's lid and glue it in place.
Position the dry, painted figurine next to the tree and glue it in place.
Ensuring you leave enough space to allow the lid to screw onto the jar, drizzle glue on the remaining space inside the lid and scatter the craft snowflakes around the tree & figurine, covering it generously.
Allow a few minutes for the glue to dry then carefully screw the lid onto the jar, keeping the display upright.
Festive Stained Glass
Made from tissue paper cut outs, this easy Christmas holiday craft is ideal for little ones just learning to use safety scissors. Tissue paper is thin and easy to cut, and random shapes are encouraged! This is an excellent opportunity to use recycled bits of torn or ripped tissue paper from past gifts or packages.
Your child will love seeing their artistic work displayed in the window. The light filters through the thin layers of tissue paper creating a lit effect. Paste tissue paper to any shaped cut-out you want, whether it's the shape of a Christmas light, snowflake, tree, or any other festive piece. Choose whether you want to have solid colored lights, which is great to encourage color identification classification, or a polychromatic effect.
Materials
Several sheets of tissue paper in a variety of colors
A festive-shaped cut-out to act as a base
Scissors
Glue
Popsicle stick to apply glue
Instructions
Snip tissue paper into various shaped and sized pieces until you have many pieces to work with.
Use a popsicle stick to apply & spread a thin layer of glue to the cut-out base.
Arrange tissue paper in a single layer. Then repeat glue & tissue paper application, but using less paper with each layer so there are spaces through which the light can shine.
Allow the piece to dry, then hang in the window.
Best Christmas Playdough Ever
It's easy to make, super soft & squishy, and lasts for weeks in a sealed plastic bag. But the best part is that kids of all ages love it because it allows for open-ended sensory exploration. They can create shapes and smash them seconds later to test another idea.
This homemade recipe for cooked playdough requires just a few ingredients, plus cinnamon & nutmeg to achieve that festive scent. The spices will cause the playdough to darken in color a bit, so you may need to play around with food dyes to achieve the desired shade. Use a variety of tools for manipulation such as popsicle sticks, plastic knives, cookie cutters, and other objects that create imprints.
Materials
2 cups white flour
¾ cup table salt
4 tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
2 cups lukewarm water
2 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
Food coloring (if desired)
Instructions
Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar and both spices in a large pot then add the water, oil, and food dye. Cook over medium heat while stirring constantly.
When the dough begins to form a ball, remove it from heat and place it on wax paper or a cutting board. Allow it a few minutes to cool and knead it until smooth.
Divide the playdough into batches and store them in plastic zip bags for up to 12 weeks.
Get Creative in the Kitchen
Festive activities can be edible too! We fully encourage creative cooking and experimentation with your little ones. Get them involved in making Christmas cookies -- and not just decorating! A young side-kick in the kitchen will enjoy smelling and adding spices to your baking, rolling dough, working with cookie cutters, and more!
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From our kitchen to yours, happy crafting as you invite the holiday season 2021 into your home!
